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Our Country's Fiery Ordeal

A blog about the American Civil War, written and maintained by historian Daniel J. Vermilya, author of The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain (History Press, 2014) and James Garfield and the Civil War (History Press, 2015)

"And may an Overuling Providence continue to cause good to come out of evil, justice to be done to all men where injustice has long prevailed, and finally, peace, quiet, and harmony to come out of this terrible confrontation and our country's fiery ordeal." -- Albert Champlin, 105th Ohio, Diary entry of June 19, 1864 (Western Reserve Historical Society)

Monday, October 29, 2012

Yesterday, I flew back to Ohio from Georgia. Judging from the wind and rain outside my window right now, it was not a moment too soon. While I love Georgia, and I love seeing my Uncle Jeff and Aunt Paula, who hosted me for a few days, being able to avoid the mess of cancelled flights and all the joys they bring is a big relief.

In the days and weeks ahead, I will begin to turn the attention of this blog to the Atlanta Campaign a bit more. I will still try to do posts on the events of the war 150 years after they occured, as well as continue to provide Antietam content. Additionally, I want to begin posting some things regarding my research for the Joseph Harsh award on here, as I am coming close to finishing a few articles regarding the project. However, while I will still work on my Army of the Potomac research, I have some other projects this winter that will turn my interests to the south, and to two years after Antietam, during the pivotal, and grueling, Atlanta Campaign of 1864. I have posted a few things on here about this campaign before, but not a whole lot. For those who don't know, I wrote my Master's Thesis at John Carroll University on the experiences and motivations of Ohio soldiers during this campaign. In fact, the title of this blog comes from a diary entry of one of those soldiers, Private Albert Champlin of the 105th Ohio. Champlin was from Willoughby, Ohio, a town right next to my own hometown of Kirtland. I hope to post some letters, diary entries, and other thoughts from soldiers who experienced the Atlanta Campaign, as it was a crucial point in the war. While I can't yet say where all of this is going, it is all a part of a new project I am working on. Stay tuned for more details...

For now, here are some more pictures from my trip to Georgia. For those who guessed last time, my visit was to primarily see Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (the pictures were of the battlefield there). Here are some more photos from the visit.

View toward Atlanta from the top of Big Kennesaw, 1800 feet high

A Confederate artillery position on top of big Kennesaw

A monument marking the spot where Confederate General Leonidas Polk was killed instantly by an artillery shell on Pine Mountain, June 14, 1864

Confederate earthworks on Pigeon Hill

Confederate artillery placement on Cheatham Hill

Illinois Monument, along with remnants of a tunnel begun by Union soldiers, on Cheatham Hill

Field where portions of George Thomas's command formed up to assault Confederate lines on Cheatham Hill

The last open stretch which the men of Col. Daniel McCook's brigade had to charge across to assault Confederate works at the "Dead Angle" on Cheatham Hill

Marietta National Cemetery, Marietta, Georgia, Kennesaw Mountain in the background. Over 10,000 Union dead from the Atlanta Campaign are interred here.

At the Marietta History Museum, they remember William T. Sherman fondly. When he and his men left for their March to the Sea, Sherman burned portions of Marietta. The top floor of what was then the Fletcher House hotel was lost in that fire. That building now houses this museum. Thus, the men's room is equated with Sherman.

Mural of Sherman in the men's room...

Confederate Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia, where over 3,000 Confederates are buried.

These are just a few of the photos from my wonderful trip to Georgia. Stay tuned... lots more on Georgia, the Atlanta Campaign, and Kennesaw Mountain to come...

Saturday, October 27, 2012

For the past few days, I have been visiting the beautiful state of Georgia. I am here doing some research and battlefield hiking to prepare for a new project that I am working on. I can't officially announce it yet, but it has something to do with the pictures below...

Oh, and by the way, I need to mention my Uncle Jeff and Aunt Paula, who are hosting me for a few days, and are wonderful, wonderful people (plus, Jeff loves it when he is mentioned on here, so I need to give him the public thanks that he and Aunt Paula so deserve!)

Saturday, October 20, 2012

It is that time of the year again, when leaves change color, the air becomes cooler, and summer dies out and gives way first to fall, and then to winter. It is also that time of the year which NPS seasonal rangers dread the most. As of a few days ago, I am back home in Ohio once again. My incredible year at Antietam has come to a close. It has been an unbelievable few months, especially the last few weeks with the 150th. In the months ahead, I will be back home, trying to make ends meet and do what I can to continue moving forward as a young ranger and historian. These are tough times for many folks right now, so I am certainly not alone in that regard.

And yet, while I am back home for a few months over the winter, all is not lost. I will be back in Maryland in a few weeks for Antietam's annual luminaries, and I hope to resume my regular ranger duties sometime in the spring months. Being back home affords me the opportunity to continue doing volunteer work for the James A. Garfield NHS, which is a fascinating site with an outstanding ranger staff. I am very fortunate that the folks at the Garfield site have taken me in to give me another park to call home for the winter.

In addition, I have some very exciting projects in the works as well. First, I am in the process of writing articles based on my research for publication. I hope to have news on that front soon. I am looking at a few shorter articles to supplement a larger article encompassing the project in its many facets

A few days before I left Maryland, I made an early morning trek to Gettysburg to watch the sunrise from Cemetery Ridge. Let these photos remind you, as they remind me, that no matter how difficult things might seem in the short term, the sun will always continue to rise, and God has a plan and a future for all of us. All we have to do is have faith in Him.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

This movie looks incredible. It looks as though it portrays our 16th and greatest president as he should be: a heroic leader who saved this country while leading us through death and destruction toward a "new birth of freedom." Lincoln's fight to end slavery was nothing short of one of the most brilliant, complex, and incredible efforts in the history of politics, and it should be remembered as such. He was a true statesman. I hope that this film does Lincoln justice.

I can't wait to see this film. What I am dreading, however, is the increased Lincoln hatred it is sure to stir up. There are many folks out there who still view Lincoln as a tyrant who cost the nation hundreds of thousands of lives for no reason. Of course, that is why our country needs good historians and good history teachers. I look forward to the lively debate that this is sure to spark.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Now that we have had some time to catch our collective breath, I wanted to post a few more thoughts and photos from the Antietam 150th. Here are my top moments from the 150th commemoration activities on the 14th through the 17th...

5. Getting to work with some of the best park rangers and battlefield guides around was a great part of the 150th weekend. For several days, it was non stop interp alongside some great historians. I got to work with folks such as Tom Clemens, Frank O'Reilly, Chris Bryce, Bill Sagle, and Jim Rosebrock, along with many others, all top notch Civil War historians and interpreters. This is not to mention my colleagues on staff at Antietam, who I will get to a little later on in the list.

A few shots of me doing talks at the Cornfield on Sunday, September 16th

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Jim Rosebrock, myself, and Bill Sagle

4. On the morning of the 15th and 16th, I was tasked with leading the Cornfield overview hikes. On Saturday, I had at least 150 people, and on Sunday, I had at least 200. Thankfully, on Sunday a few boy scouts came along to carry a speaker so I did not have to lose my voice halfway through the 150th events. We covered the Cornfield and West Woods action in about 90 minutes each day, providing an overview of the first few hours of Antietam. The people who came along on the hikes were wonderful. They asked great questions, were very interested in the topic, and they couldn't have been friendlier. They were also very much surprised when I told them that I had never led hikes like those before this weekend. Leading those hikes was a real highlight and thrill for me.

A quick cell phone picture that I snapped while heading out on my Saturday morning hike. As you can see, the group was quite big, and it grew even larger when we reached the Cornfield.

3. At 10 am on September 17th, I began a Cornfield program for
over 100 people. When I wrapped up at 10:45 am, it was roughly the time
150 years to the moment from when my ancestor was killed in the West
Woods (remember, no daylight savings time in 1862). I was able to stand
on Antietam National Battlefield and tell Ellwood Rodebaugh's story to
what was by then a group of over 150 people. At the end I began to tear
up, so I thanked everyone for being there and explained my personal
story and the significance of the moment. Many of the visitors had some
tears as well. Following the program, I went to stand along the fence
line, currenly Starke Avenue, where Ellwood was last seen alive. Ranger
Tom Jones snapped my picture there to mark the moment, which was one I
will never forget.

Standing on the same spot where 150 years earlier my ancestor gave his life so that this nation might live. One of the most emotional and meaningful moments of my life. It would soon be topped, however.

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2. Sunrise in the Cornfield

AT 6:30 am on the morning of the 17th, the park interpretive staff and 600 of our closest friends gathered at the Cornfield for a program to mark the moment 150 years from when the battle began. The program featured an introduction by Antietam Ranger and Chief of Interpretation Keith Snyder. Ranger Snyder was followed by the rangers present reading quotes and providing brief narration. Each reading was composed of words from soldiers, both Union and Confederate, which described the night before Antietam and the start of the battle. A few quotes in, cannon fire and musket fire began. With the mist hanging in the damp early morning air, the artillery fire echoed across the hills, and the intervening moments between gun fire and rangers reading quotes was eerily silent. To have over 600 people gathered together in complete silence to hear an echo of artillery fire 150 years to the moment from when the battle began is something which I will remember for as long as I live. There are no words to describe this experience. Only the photos below do it justice. They are all taken from the NPS social media team, which did outstanding work over Antietam's 150th weekend.

Ranger Alann Schmidt, myself, and Ranger Keith Snyder

I am proud to call these rangers my colleagues and friends. They are an exceptional group of historians. I would say that one would be hard pressed to find a more professional and oustanding interpretive staff in the country today (left to right: Brian Baracz, Mannie Gentile, Alann Schmidt, Mike Gamble, Chris Gwinn, myself, Keith Snyder, John Hoptak, Mike Weinstein).

1. The closing ceremony in the National
Cemetery was incredible. It featured a reading of the names of all those who died at Antietam, a very special way to commemorate their sacrifice. It was wrapped up with Ranger Alann Schmidt reading the "Bivouac of the Dead" poem and a 21 gun salute.

Ranger Alann Schmidt on the rostrum leading the closing ceremony, reading the poem, "The Bivouac of the Dead"

I wrapped up doing my last program at Burnside Bridge at around 5 pm on the 17th. I decided to drive up to the National Cemetery to see how things were progressing there. I never thought that I would be there in time to read my ancestor's name, so I didn't give it much thought. However, my good friend and colleague Ranger Alann Schmidt kept the sheet with Ellwood's name separate in case I could be there. As I walked into the cemetery, Alann saw me, and signaled for me to come to the rostrum in the National Cemetery. He handed me a sheet of paper and said, "Get in line." I was just in time to read Ellwood's name.

All weekend long, I had done programs for hundreds of people, but this was the only time I was nervous. My friends and colleagues were all there to witness the moment, as was Park Superintendent Susan Trail. When the time came, I ascended the stairs, stepped up to the mike, and read a list of names of those who died at Antietam. When I read the name of Ellwood Rodebaugh, I paused and simply said, "He was my great-great-great grandfather." I continued, and upon finishing the list, when I stepped off the rostrum, I lifted my head up to the sky, and said a few simple words....

"Thank you grandpa"

A photo of me reading Ellwood's name at the National Cemetery. There is an album of pictures on the park facebook page as well, available here.

There are not words to describe how amazing Anniversary Weekend was. If there ever was a weekend where it was clear to me that I am a ranger at Antietam because that is God's plan for me, the weekend of the 150th was it. I am very blessed indeed. I will remember those days for the rest of my life.
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About Me

Lifelong student of the Civil War and American History, Park Ranger at Antietam National Battlefield and Gettysburg National Military Park, and die hard fan of the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Philadelphia Flyers (yes, that is an eclectic mix, don't ask me to explain).
[The thoughts and postings on this page are entirely my own and in no way are meant to reflect those of my employers].
Romans 8:28; Philippians 4:13

More About Me...

Hillsdale College, Bachelor of Arts, 2009-Double majored in history and politics-Graduated cum laude with departmental honors in history

John Carroll University, Master of Arts, 2011-Main focus on American Civil War, Secondary focuses on American Revolution and Modern Europe-Master's Thesis analyzed motivations and experiences of Ohio soldiers in Sherman's army during the Atlanta Campaign of 1864

-Park Ranger, Antietam National Battlefield, 2010-2015

-Park Ranger, Gettysburg National Military Park, 2013-

- First annual recipient of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation's Dr. Joseph L. Harsh Memorial Scholarship Award. My research topic is the Strength, Composition, and Experience of the Army of the Potomac at Antietam (2012).

"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."

--Abraham Lincoln, Address at Cooper Union, February 27, 1860

"This is essentially a people's contest. On the side of the Union, it is a struggle for maintaining in the world that form and substance of government whose leading object is to elevate the condition of men; to lift artificial weights from all shoulders; to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all; to afford all an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life. Yielding to partial and temporary departures, from necessity, this is the leading object of the Government for whose existence we contend."

--Abraham Lincoln, July 4, 1861 message to Congress

"Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. We say we are for the Union. The world will not forget that we say this. We know how to save the Union. The world knows we do know how to save it. We--even we here--hold the power, and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free--honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. Other means may succeed; this could not fail. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just-- a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless."